Ultimately it's a matter of choice; facial hair gets messy when eating, and spicy greasy food can cause irritation if your face is not soaped & washed after eating, as is my habit here. Most whites I've seen here in SEA are clean-shaven or stubbly. I haven't shaved for six weeks in Malaysia, because facial hair is well-received among the Muslim populace. I've been welcomed to Melaka by more people than any other city I've been to, and virtually all of them were Muslims.